Pencil sharpener



Sept. 16, 1969 as. DAILEY 3,467,843

PENCIL SHARPENER Filed Feb. 9, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /25 5 7 I-I W ,d Hm i Fig.4

INVENTOR Gordon S. Dciley BY 4 M ATTORNEYS Sept. 16, 1969 ca. 5. DAILEY PENCIL SHARPENER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 9, 1968 mliijimihl mvsmon Gordon S. Doiley wwms United States Patent 3,467,843 PENCIL SHARPENER Gordon S. Dailey, 2022 Tolosa, Dallas, Tex. 75228 Filed Feb. 9, 1968, Ser. No. 704,410 Int. Cl. H02k 7/14 US. Cl. 310-50 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pencil sharpener assembly having the housing in which is mounted an electric motor whose drive shaft extends vertically upwardly of the housing and has a pencil sharpener releasably secured thereto. A switch for controlling the operation of the motor being mounted on the housing, the housing having an aperture through which a tool may be inserted to hold the drive shaft of the motor against rotation during the connection or disconnection of the sharpener from the drive shaft.

This invention relates to motor driven devices and more particularly to a motor driven pencil sharpener.

An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved pencil sharpener assembly which includes a pencil sharpener rotatably driven by an electric motor.

Another object is to provide a pencil sharpener assembly which is easily assembled and has only a few operative parts.

Still another object is to provide a pencil sharpener assembly which includes a housing positionable on a suitable support surface, such as a desk, which has mounted therein an electric motor whose drive shaft extends upwardly through the top wall of the housing and to which a pencil sharpener is releasably securable.

A further object is to provide a pencil sharpener assembly of the type described wherein the housing includes a top section whose bottom is closed by substantially planar bottom section wherein the motor is frictionally secured to the housing without use of fastening devices, such as screws, bolts, and the like.

A further object is to provide a pencil sharpener assembly wherein a housing is provided with an aperture through which a tool may be inserted to engage the rotor of the motor to hold the drive shaft thereof against rotation during the connection or disconnection of a pencil sharpener from the drive shaft of the motor.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the reading of the following description of a device constructed in accordance with the invention, and reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the pencil sharpener assembly embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the pencil sharpener assembly;

FIGURE 3 is a side view of the pencil sharpener assembly;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a partly sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURES 6 and 7 are sectional views taken on lines 6-6 and 7-7, respectively, of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of the bottom section of the housing; and

FIGURE 9 is an inside view of the top section before insertion of the motor.

Referring now to the drawings, the pencil sharpener assembly 10 embodying the invention includes a housing 11 and electric motor 12 mounted in the housing, a switch 13 for controlling operation of the electric motor, and a pencil sharpener 14, such as the pencil sharpener 3,467,843 Patented Sept. 16, 1969 illustrated and described in the patent to D. I. Fugle, No. 2,557,646, secured to the drive shaft 15 of the electric motor.

The housing 11 includes a main or top section 17 having a horizontal rectangular planar top wall 18, downwardly divergent side walls 19 and 20, and downwardly divergent end walls 21 and 22. The bottom rectangular planar section 24 of the housing has an upper portion 25 which is adapted to telescope into the lower end portion of the top housing section. The upwardly convergent side surfaces 26 and 27 of the top portion abut the internal lower edge portions of the side surfaces of the side walls 19 and 20, respectively, and the upwardly convergent end surfaces 28 and 29 of the top portion abut the side surfaces of the end walls 21 and 22, respectively. The bottom section outwardly of its top portion has an upwardly facing stop surface 30 which is engaged by the bottom end surfaces of the end and side walls of top housing section to limit upward telescoping move ment of the bottom section relative to the top section.

The two housing sections may be rigidly secured to one another not only by a relatively tight friction fit, but also by a bonding or adhesive agent. The two housing sections are preferably formed of a relatively light but strong plastic. A felt layer or pad 32 may be adhesively secured to the bottom surface of the bottom housing section to prevent damage to support surfaces on which the pencil sharpener assembly is placeable.

The top wall is provided with a downwardly opening recess 34 alignable with and above an upwardly opening circular recess 35 of the bottom housing section in which are received the top and bottom housings 36 and 37 of the motor 12 of the bearing assemblies 38 and 39, respectively. The bearing assemblies 38 and 39 rotatably support the drive or rotor shaft of the electric motor and are rigidly secured to the laminated stator 42 of the electric motor by means of brackets 44 and 45, respectively. The brackets are secured to the stator by means of threaded studs 48 and bolts 49. The armature or rotor 51 of the electric motor is rotatably disposed in an aperture 52 of the stator and is provided at its opposite ends with impellers or blowers 56 and 57 respectively, which serve to circulate air about the motor.

The field winding or coil 58 of the motor is wound on a bobbin 59 and is disposed about a portion .60 of the stator defined by an aperture 61 thereof.

The motor may be of any suitable commercially available self starting single phase motor, such as the shaded pole type provided with shading coils, not shown. The field coil of the electric motor is connectable across an input circuit of alternating electric current b means of a cable or cord 62 provided at its outer end with the usual plug 63 whose prongs 64 and 65 are insertable in the usual apertures of an electric outlet. The prongs 64 and 65 are connected to the conductors 66 and 67, respectively, of the cable. The conductor 66 is connected directly to one end of the field coil 58, while the conductor 67 is connected to one terminal 68 of the pushbutton switch 13 whose other terminal 71 is connected to the other side of the field coil 58 by a conductor 72. The switch 13 may be of any suitable commercially available type and includes a threaded housing 75 positioned in an aperture 76 of the top wall. Downward movement of the housing 75 is limited by the abutment of its top external flange 78 with the top surface of the top wall 18 of the housing. Upward movement of the switch housing is prevented by a nut 80 threaded on the housing which bears against a washer 81 interposed between the nut and the bottom surface of the top wall. The switch 13, when its upwardly biased button 82 is depressed, provides an electrical connection between its terminals 68 and 71 and thus connects the field coil of the motor across the conductors 66 and 67.

The end wall 21 of the housing is provided with an aperture 90 through which a paper clip, pencil, or the like, may be inserted to engage one of the blades of the blower 56 to hold the rotor or armature 51, and thus the drive shaft 15 of the electric motor, against rotation during the connection or disconnection of the pencil sharpener from the threaded end of the drive shaft which extends upwardly above the top wall of the housing through an aperture 92 which opens to the recess 34 of the top wall. The cord extends outwardly through an aperture 93 of the end wall 22. If desired, a suitable grommet or the like may be disposed in the aperture 93 and about the cord.

The pencil sharpener 14, as is fully described in the patent to Fugle, has an upwardly opening aperture 94 through which the lead of a drafting pencil or the like may be inserted to be sharpened by the pencil sharpener when the sharpener is rotated by the electric motor. The threaded connection between the drive shaft, which extends into a downwardly opening threaded bore in the base of the pencil sarpener, is such that the rotation of the motor tends to cause the pencil sharpener to be threaded further on the drive shaft.

It will be apparent that the components of the pencil sharpener assembly are easily assembled by moving the motor into the top housing section, while the latter is in upside down position, to cause its drive shaft to extend through the aperture 92 and to have its top bearing assembly housing 36 received in the circular recess 34 of the top wall and then telescoping the portion 25 of the bottom section into the housing section with the housing 37 of the lower bearing assembly 39 being received in the circular recess 35 of the bottom section.

The motor will then be held frictionally in the position illustrated in the drawings and the movement of the stator about a vertical axis is then restrained by the engagement of its stator with internal surfaces of the side walls 19 and 20 of the top housing section. Due to the downward divergence of the side walls 19 and 20, only the top edge portions of the stator engage the side walls so that considerable space is provided for the circulation of air about the stator and since the motor is never subjected to any great loads, the circulation of air through the openings 90, 92, and 93 is sufficient to pre vent the motor from overheating.

-It will now be seen that a new and improved pencil sharpener assembly has been illustrated and described which is very quickly and easily assembled, that the motor is secured in the housing without the use of bolts, screws, or other means to attach the motor to the housmg.

It will be further seen that a pencil sharpener is easily connectable to and disconnectable from the threaded drive shaft of the motor due to the provision of the aperture in the end wall 21 through which a paper clip, pencil or the like may be inserted to hold the rotor against rotation, it being apparent that the sharpener may have to be removed periodically to unload from its housing the scrapings of pencil lead which accumulate therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An assembly including: a housing having a top section and a bottom section, said top section comprising a top wall, said wall extending divergently from the sides of the top wall and end walls extending divergently from the ends of the top wall, said bottom section having a top portion telescopical upwardly into said top section, said top wall and said bottom section having vertically aligned facing recesses; an electric motor positioned in said housing, said motor having a vertical drive shaft and means received in said recesses and frictionally engaging said top wall and said bottom section, said top wall having an aperture opening to the recess in said top wall through which said drive shaft extends upwardly of said housing.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said drive shaft is adapted to have connected thereto a pencil sharpener.-

3. The assembly of claim 2, and a switch mounted on said housing for controlling energization of said motor.

4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein one of said end walls is provided with an aperture, and conductor means extending into said housing through said aperture to said switch and motor.

5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the other of said walls is provided with-an aperture through which a holding means may be inserted to engage the motor to hold the drive shaft thereof against rotation during the connection and disconnection from the drive shaft of a pencil sharpener.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said side walls are engageable with said electric motor at upper portions to hold said motor against movement in said housing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,803,220 8/1957 Georges 14428.72 3,090,358 5/1963 Condon l44--28.72 3,134,365 5/1964 Hori 144-28.7 X 3,175,539 3/1965 Saflund et a1. 144-28.72

WARREN E. RAY, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

